Under 10s vs Bedfont Eagles – 24.03.2019

It was a warm and sunny spring morning which greeted the Merton boys on their final away day trip of the 2018/19 season.

The match kicked off and Merton were straight on the front foot leading to David having two shots at goal in quick succession. With Chell watching on he looked set for another string performance.

After 8 mins Merton were rewarded with the opening goal after a lovely two touch passing move through half of the side. Louis crossed for Rio to slide in and score.

This was soon followed by a nice run from Dave but his cross was cleared.

This didn’t discourage him and he followed up by sending over a great cross which was brilliantly headed in by Percy to make it 2-0 after 11mins.

The boys were into their stride now and Joe was getting well in to the game. Some good play between Dave, Louis and Rio led to another shot and another good save from the Bedfont keeper who looked very solid despite the goals.

Suddenly Merton made an inexplicable mix up at the back and let an easy chance go in for 2-1. Then, as if that wasn’t disappointing enough, bam: another quick Bedfont attack and 2-2 after some good passing.

Back on level terms the boys needed to redouble their efforts. But Bedfont had the next chance and it took a sprint from Max in goal to get back just in time to save a shot on the line.

Some more good play and shots from Merton came and the Bedfont keeper was equal to much of it with strong saves. He was starting to look like one of the best keepers we have seen this season.

Bedfont broke again and Dave slid in and the ref awarded a free kick. Bedfont strung some passes together from this and their striker somehow squeezed the ball in under Max for 3-2. Shocked!

Half time blew and it was 3-2 down we went in.

The second half kicked off and Merton were on the front foot again with some good play. Suddenly Max made a superb save after dashing out to meet a Bedfont break. Then the ball broke to left and Farris put Percy through for a superb finish and 3-3. Percy was having one of his best games today.

He won the ball again on the right and played across the pitch to Louis who passed to Farris resulting in a shot and save.

Another good move followed with Joe shooting and the keeper coping out to save. He really was looking for a man of the match performance. Bobby was playing deeper than usual for much of the match but still found himself involved in many moves and using his strength and control to break up play.

Next Merton broke through and Rio was brought down for a penalty on the edge of the box. He took it himself and it was now 3-4 to Merton.

Merton continued to miss lots of chances and the Bedfont keeper continued to make good saves. Olly was starting lots of moves from the back and playing a one-two where there was an opening. Nice to see training being taken into the match.

The superb Bedfont keeper now went off injured after an innocuous challenge at the end of his 5-star performance. This took 3 mins of delay but the ref found a whole lot more time extending the game well after the requisite 25 min half.

This game Bedfont the opportunity to draw level but in the end it was Merton who extended their lead as Rio played in Percy who took his hat trick under the keeper for 5-3 with another cool finish. What a game he had played.

The final whistle blew and Percy was awarded man of the match for Merton. The boys seemed to have learned from their previous surprise defeats in games where the opposition took advantage of lapses and Merton did not convert chances. This was a mature and committed win.